What is the Census?

The census is a count of everyone living in the United States every 10 years.

The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

The next census is in 2010.

Your participation in the census is required by law.

It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

Federal law protects the personal information you share during the census.

Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.